3 Catherine Savini’s “Looking for Trouble: Finding Your Way Into a Writing Assignment”
Writing Spaces Volume 2
In this chapter, Savini examines how identifying a useful problem can be used to develop a strong argumentative thesis. The chapter outlines a process whereby students locate a unique problem that they find especially meaningful, then articulate the details of that problem, pose fruitful questions related to the problem, and identify the stakes of the problem. Savini analyzes this process at work by examining an essay by critic bell hooks wherein a specific problem is used as the genesis for an argumentative essay. This chapter is especially helpful for learning how to generate research topics and formulate original arguments.
“Though it may seem counterintuitive at the outset, one way to diminish the considerable difficulty of getting started on a new assignment is to look for something that troubles you, seek out difficulty, find problems. All academic disciplines seek to impart in their students the ability to identify, mull over, and sometimes solve challenging problems. Not surprisingly, the benefits of a willingness and mental acuity to greet complex problems extend well beyond the classroom.”
MLA Citation Examples
Works Cited
Savini, Catherine. “Looking for Trouble: Finding Your Way Into a Writing Assignment.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Volume 2, edited by Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky, 2011, pp. 52-70.
In-text citation
“Though it may seem counterintuitive at the outset, one way to diminish the considerable difficulty of getting started on a new assignment is to look for something that troubles you, seek out difficulty, find problems. All academic disciplines seek to impart in their students the ability to identify, mull over, and sometimes solve challenging problems. Not surprisingly, the benefits of a willingness and mental acuity to greet complex problems extend well beyond the classroom.” (52-53).
References
Savini, C. (2011). Looking for trouble: Finding your way into a writing assignment. In Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky (Eds.), Writing spaces: readings on writing, vol. 2 (pp. 52-70). New York: Parlor Press.
In-text citation
“Though it may seem counterintuitive at the outset, one way to diminish the considerable difficulty of getting started on a new assignment is to look for something that troubles you, seek out difficulty, find problems. All academic disciplines seek to impart in their students the ability to identify, mull over, and sometimes solve challenging problems. Not surprisingly, the benefits of a willingness and mental acuity to greet complex problems extend well beyond the classroom.” (Savini, 2011, p. 52-53).
Chicago Citation Examples
Bibliography
Savini, Catherine. “Looking for Trouble: Finding Your Way Into a Writing Assignment,” in Writing Spaces: Reading on Writing Volume 2, ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemlianksy (New York: Parlor Press, 2011), 52-70
In-text citation
“Though it may seem counterintuitive at the outset, one way to diminish the considerable difficulty of getting started on a new assignment is to look for something that troubles you, seek out difficulty, find problems. All academic disciplines seek to impart in their students the ability to identify, mull over, and sometimes solve challenging problems. Not surprisingly, the benefits of a willingness and mental acuity to greet complex problems extend well beyond the classroom.” (Savini, 2011, 52-53).
About the author
name: Volume 2 Writing Spaces
institution: Parlor Press and WAC Clearinghouse
Released in 2010, the first issue of Writing Spaces was edited by Drs. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. In addition to the Writing Spaces Website, volume 2 can be accessed through WAC Clearinghouse, as well as Parlor Press.
From Parlor Press
Volume 2 continues the tradition of the previous volume with topics, such as the rhetorical situation, collaboration, documentation styles, weblogs, invention, writing assignment interpretation, reading critically, information literacy, ethnography, interviewing, argument, document design, and source integration.
From WAC Clearinghouse
Charles Lowe is Assistant Professor of Writing at Grand Valley State University where he teachers composition, professional writing, and Web design. Pavel Zemliansky is Associate Professor in the School of Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication at James Madison University.
